Although Clara died in 1972 when I had not yet turned 5, I have very strong memories of my dear, beloved Auntie Buzzie (a great-aunt of mine!). These memories are intertwined with those of her two sisters, and maybe that is why my memories are so strong – three old ladies can do that! Auntie Buzzie was different to her two sisters. She was quieter, softer and somehow more loveable. I, apparently, could do no wrong in her eyes. If we happened to be at the shops, she would want to buy me something. I, apparently, always chose Band-Aids (oh, what a collection I would have had if this occurred now in the days of designer Band-Aids). I do remember being disappointed when she bought an “assorted shapes” pack of Band-Aids, because they weren’t the ones that I liked… However, I digress, because this is a story about Clara.
Clara Margaret Woolley was the first child of Clara Elizabeth Furnsby and Robert John Woolley. She was born on 10 December 1906 in Balmain, Sydney. Robert owned the butchers shop on the corner of Victoria Road and Darling Street, Rozelle. Soon after her birth the family moved to 5 Day Street, Balmain. Clara was soon joined by Elizabeth, Robert and Lorna. Then on 18 January 1918 Clara’s youngest sibling, Thomas Osborne, was born. He died on 30 December 1919 and this appears to be the catalyst for the bitter breakdown in the marriage of Clara Elizabeth and Robert. The next few years were rather tumultuous for the family. Eventually Clara and her sisters moved with their mother to a house in Rose Bay. Robert, or Bobby, as he was known, went to boarding school – paid for by his father – and so they only saw him during school holidays.
Clara worked as a stenographer but her passion was singing. She had earned a scholarship to the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney to study dramatic soprano. While she was good, she wasn’t astounding, and so she couldn’t earn a living through her singing. Instead she sung in Church (she was a committed Methodist), at recitals and any other opportunity she could find. A few years ago I discovered that she liked to sing 'A Perfect Day'. So I purchased the music and always think of Aunty Buzzie when I sing it!
She had a number of boyfriends, but her mother had particularly high standards for any potential husbands and so her relationships didn’t go very far. Her two younger sisters met and eventually married but Clara stayed with her mother. She became an aunt for the first time when she was 34 and, loving children as she did, she also loved being an aunt. Any photo of her with young children shows a very happy person - and a generally happy child as well. When she was 42 she married James McDonald and they lived with her mother. He was a Scottish man who had come to Australia after the war. There is actually footage of him disembarking from the ship, and it is often played when there happens to be a story about the large numbers of people coming to Australia after World War II. I think the marriage was relatively happy. James was a relatively heavy drinker, but he wasn't abusive. Clara's mother was not happy about the marriage. She was replaced as number one in her daughter's life! She was so unhappy that she changed her will - redirecting her assets from her children, to her grandchildren, with the proviso that her house was available for Clara until she died.
Clara's mother died in late 1966. While she loved her mother, I often wonder if she was slightly relieved that she could 'live her own life' now. Hard to know, because she was such a generous person, she may not have thought about it like that! Her husband James died in November 1969. She wasn't really alone, because she had two sisters she was very close to. Indeed, one of her sisters' husbands had died in February 1967 and so the two women lived together for some time.
Clara, as stated above, died in 1972. She had just lost weight, was feeling great and had lots of things she wanted to do. I remember driving to her house in Vaucluse while my mother had to go through the house. I didn't like it very much because I knew we had lost a great person (that being said, my grandmother and my other great aunt were wonderful people to have in my life - and both of them lived until they were over 100! Which also means it wasn't really fair that she died at 65!).
People like Clara deserve to be remembered!
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| Clara holding her great-neice, with her two sisters |
Relationship to SNR = Great-great Aunt
